If there are any ambiguities about Kelly´s last diary entry, I´d happy to clear them up. Kelly wrote that she was so disappointed Brandon didn´t come to the wedding. That only Dylan was there instead. And that she would rather stay with him than be alone. Actually, Kelly was more insecure than Brandon should be. After all, Brandon didn´t show up and he left Kelly, not the other way around…sorry if that might have been misunderstood.
Chapter 9 Consequences
Even tough he had taken his plate to his room, Sammy didn´t want to eat anything.
He wasn´t hungry at all.
He threw himself on the bed and picked up his phone. There was only one person he wanted to speak to.
Toni´s phone vibrated. She had locked herself in her room too and didn´t want to see anyone.
S: I read Mom´s last post today…did you know Mom and Dylan were dating?
T: Yes, I found out yesterday. Dad confessed everything to me today. I hate him for this.
S: I feel the same way about Mom. What do we do now?
T: I have no idea. I would like to run away. I can´t look at Dad right now.
S: Neither do my Mom. But where should we go?
T: How much money do you have in your room?
S: Wait…
Sammy went to his drawer.
S: I have fifty dollars. There was pocket money.
T: I´m about thirty. Will that get us to Minnesota?
S: To Grandma and Grandpa?
T: We can´t go to Hawaii. We are not allowed to fly to Hawaii alone without an adult.
S: Shall we meet at the bus station? On the bus they don´t check if we´re alone.
T: We´ll do that. I´ll call you when Dad sleeps. He´s been sleeping on the sofa since yesterday.
S: Okay, see you later.
Toni started packing a few things. She wrote a letter to her Mom.
She waited until 11:30 p.m.
She quietly opened her room door. Everything was quite. She sneaked downstairs. The TV was on but Dylan seemed to be asleep. She heard him snoring on the sofa.
She slipped out oft he house like a cat.
Sammy was already waiting for her down the street.
„Hey. I found another hundred dollars in Dad´s moneybag." She beamed.
„Me too with Dad." Sammy laughed.
Together they went to the bus station.
The smell of coffee woke Dylan up. He had slept so restlessly again. He kept waking up during the night. Out of consideration for Toni, he and Brenda had decided to sleep separately for the time. Dylan didn´t like that at all, but he wanted his daughter´s trust back.
Brenda was in the kitchen preparing breakfast as usual. Dylan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
„Good morning." He kissed her cheek.
„Good morning." Brenda turned her head and their lips met.
Then the children came. They were very excited.
„Mom, Dad, Toni´s gone." Kyle called.
„What?" Brenda exclaimed.
„I was just going to check on her but her bed was empty." Sheila had fear in her eyes.
Dylan immediately jumped up the stairs into Toni´s room and ripped open her closet. He saw that her big backpack was gone. Also some clothes. And her favorite stuffed animal, Mr. Pony.
Brenda had followed him and also saw that the things were missing.
„Antonia!" She cried and started crying.
Dylan was about to say something when his phone rang. Brandon´s face was visible.
„Brandon, Toni is gone."
„Damn, Sammy too. We thought he was with you." Brandon sounded desperate.
Dylan could hear Kelly screaming in fear in the background.
„Wait." Brenda called, holding a piece of paper in her hand.
Dylan came to her and together they read Toni´s letter.
Brenda took Dylan´s phone. „Brandon, did Sammy write a letter?"
Brandon searched and found him on the wardrobe.
„They ran away." Brandon shook his head in disbelief.
Dylan couldn´t take it anymore. He burst into tears.
In the letter had Toni written that she ran away because of him.
„Brandon? We´ll be with you in a moment." Brenda trembled.
„Isn´t Tonic coming back?" Tears broke out on Sheila´s face too.
Brenda hugged her daughter.
„Yes, Toni will be back. We will look for her. And that´s why we´re taking you to school today. And please stay there until someone picks you up, okay?"
Kyle and Sheila nodded.
At the Walshes, the men and women fell into each other´s arms and wept.
They needed a plan for where their children could be.
„I think Erica, Jackie and Mel can be ruled out. They would have contacted us long ago." Brandon ran his fingers through his hair.
„Iris too. They wouldn´t even get on a plane without an adult." Dylan paced.
„Maybe Mom and Dad?" Brandon looked at his sister.
„To Minnesota? How are you going to get there?" Brenda looked at her brother in horror.
„How much money do they have, anyway?" Dylan looked around.
Brandon got his moneybag. „Definitely one hundred dollars. My bag is empty."
Dylan got his out tool. „Yup, Now it´s already two hundred."
„First, I´m going to call the police and make a missing person report." Kelly grabbed her phone.
„Brandon, we´re going to the bus station and we´re going to look around and you women are looking around here."
„The money will never reach till Minneapolis." Brenda looked at her husband in despair.
„Bren, we´ll find the kids." Dylan kissed his wife tenderly.
When Kelly came back, she gave Dylan a venomous look.
„It´s all your fault."
„Sorry?" Dylan looked at her in disbelief.
„If you leave your things lying around like that? Without Toni Sammy would never have thought of reading my diary."
„Are you kidding me?" Dylan yelled at Kelly. „I have no secrets from my children."
„Who wrote everything down to the smallest detail from the past?" Kelly was screaming now too.
„My children can know that I made the biggest mistake of my whole life back then."
„Who´s been flirting with me over the summer?" Kelly gasped back.
„Come Kel. You were soooo innocent too. YOU started with your skimpy bikinis and your looks."
Brenda and Brandon looked at Kelly in disbelief.
„You didn´t say No either."
„And who secretly visited my house?" Dylan´s look at Kelly was deadly.
„And who said I love you to Brenda on the phone and look at the same time at me?"
Now Brendas look changed to Dylan. „What?"
Dylans eyes changed immediately to Brenda.
Kelly didn´t cared about Brenda and Dylans exchange.
„Soulmates…" Kelly snorted „…and I fell for that crap once."
But than her eyes changed to Brandon too. And what she saw scared her.
„Brandon, talk to me, please."
Dylan felt the same about Brendas face.
„Bren, please." Dylan knew he went to far.
„Excuse me. I will find my daughter." She took her purse and left the living room.
„Wait Brenda, I´ll come with you." Kelly knew she shoult say sorry to Brandon but in this moment their kids were on first place.
In the cars, both men and women, there was silence at first.
In Brandon´s Dylan took a deep breath. „Kelly is right. It´s my fault. I should have known Toni was reading this." Dylann looked down at his hands.
Brandon looked at him. „It´s the way it is now. I think sooner or later the kids would have found out."
„Yes, but maybe not until eighteen. Then they would have understood the whole thing better."
Brandon looked ahead. „You mean your cheating with the best friend of my sister?"
„Brandon, If I could anything do to change or delete the past I would do it immediately. You must believe me. I didn´t want excuse me or similar. I made a mistake and regretted it to dept."
Dylan looked to Brandon. „I´m sorry B. I just didn´t mean to freak out like that. It is past. We are now happily married."
„Will you say the same to my sister later?"
„Your sister is all for me and you know it. I would die for her."
Brandon looked at him. „Apology accepted." He handed Dylan a ghetto fist.
Dylan hit it.
At the same time in Brenda´s car.
„Brenda, I´m sorry. Dylan is not to blame. It was his right. I was just so scared because Sammy hates me now because of my past."
Brenda said no word.
„Brenda, please talk to me. Are you angry with me? Please, I´m so glad we could reconnected our friendship…I don´t want to lose you again."
Brenda had a deep breath.
„I´m sorry Brenda."
„I know Kelly. But our fight at the house woke up feelings in me which already were away."
„I know." Kelly nodded. „And I´m sorry for this too."
„By the way Toni hates Dylan no less. Maybe the kids would have found out about the past anyway."
„Yes, but not that this time. Maybe not until they grow up."
„Now it´s happened before." Brenda shrugged.
She stopped.
„I don´t want to ruin our relationship again. I´ve done that before and I really regret it. I love you Brenda."
„I love you too, Kelly."
„Apology accepted?" Kelly asked cautiously.
„Apology accepted." Brenda smiled.
And while Brenda and Kelly were searching every nook and cranny of Los Angeles, Dylan and Brandon had arrived at the bus station.
They immediately went to the counter.
„Sir, did two teenagers here buy two tickets to Minnesota last night?" Both men breathed heavily.
„I can´t tell you that." The man at the counter replied. „Firstly, I only tookk over three hours ago and secondly, there are a lot of people here."
„Do you have a camera?"
„Can´t show you without a cop´s order?"
„The cops are already informed." Brandon was getting restless.
„Then we´ll have to wait." The man shrugged.
„Listen…" Dylan became indignant. „Our underage children probably sit on this bus. And if something happens to the two of them, I´ll break yor colleague every bone."
„Hey, hey, hey, calm down, boy."
„Sir.." Brandon tried to stay calm „...I work at the L.A. Times. And when I write that you sell tickets to thirteen and fourteen-year-old children without a parent for such a long distance…I don´t want to know what´s next for you."
„If you´ve failed as a parent, you don´t have to blame me."
Dylan hit the counter. He was completely angry.
„By the way that was my colleague. That wasn´t me."
„Then call the man or show us the video."
„I already told you I can´t do this without the cops. Anyone could come. Where did the kids want to go?"
„Probably Minnesota. To their grandparents." Brandon explained with closed eyes.
„Oh, it´s a long journey."
„We know it." Dylan said throug his teeth.
„Since when did they both disappear?"
„Maybe last night."
„Then they will maybe already in Phoenix."
„Please…Sir."
„Call the police. Then I can show you the tape."
Gritting his teeth, Dylan dialed 911.
„It´s all wasted time. Who knows where they are now." Brandon tried again to talk the man into it.
Instead of responding, the man called the next customer.
Brandon thought oft he kids. What were they doing now?
Toni and Sammy sat exhausted in the Texas Eagle.
They hadn´t slept all night.
Very often they had to get off a metro line and wait a long time for the next metro line to come. Soon they had made it and they would be sitting in the Texas Eagle for a few hours.
But they were getting hungry too. They hadn´t even thought about packing food.
Toni thought of their parents. Were they already looking for them? They must be so scared. She looked at Sammy. He also looked sad.
„What are you thinking?"
„Of food." He attemped a smile. „I am so hungry."
„We´ll be in by this time tomorrow. Then we did it."
„And then?" Sammy looked at her.
„Then we´ll be with Grandpa and Grandma first."
„How much money do we have anyway?"
Toni checked her moneybag. „Ten dollars."
„That won´t last until tomorrow."
„I know." Toni shrugged.
They didn´t expect the tickets to cost so much money.
Sammy smiled at her and held out his hand to Toni.
Toni took it, held it tight and smiled.
They would make it.
And a little bit Drama…I hope I was right with these travel connection. I hope you know what I mean… Review please